The Emperor’s Children

2 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Fiction, Reading Lists /

I’ve done it. I’ve finally read all of the books from the Booker Short List. The Emperor’s Children was the last. It was also one that I thought I would like more than most of the others. Now that I’ve finished, I’m finding it difficult to decide just how I felt about it – other than pleased it did not win the Booker. I also find it troubling that this book was on the Booker Short List at all – what got it there? Simply the 9/11 storyline? It feels that way to me, and I don’t like it.

I liked the book, I enjoyed it very much. But it didn’t feel like a Booker nominee to me. It felt like any other nicely written novel I’ve read this year. The characters were incredibly typical, stereotypical even, and predictable. Not a single shocking characteristic, not a single surprise, no unexpected twists. These characters could be dropped into a zillion other books and fit right in.

None of this is bad – it wasn’t a bad book. It was a good book. I liked it. And, I’m glad it didn’t win the Booker. You should read it though, you’ll like it too.

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OK this is worse….

Daily Dose /

At least I think it’s worse to hear that Larry King doesn’t use search than it is to hear Bush uses the google. 

Just as an aside, because I know you are all interested, Roseanne Barr is totally reminding me of my grandmother in that clip.  And it’s sort of freaking me out.  OK it is really freaking me out.  I’m going to have nightmares.

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Lorelai, you suck!

2 Comments / Sights & Sounds /

I expect suckage from Christopher, he has always sucked and he always will.  His new life as super dad lasted oh so very long, didn’t it?  Totally blew off his grown daughter who he screwed over for 22 years and blew off his latest spawn (who has grown far too quickly, casting screwed up big with that one) when he insisted they get married RIGHT NOW.  Super dad indeed. 

Anyway, suck we expect from Christopher but not from Lorelai.

I cannot believe the writers, non-Palladino that they are, would so totally have screwed this up.  I do not care if the spoilers I’ve read are true or not, bad move – totally bad move and unnecessary.  Whoever came up with this idea and whoever gave the go ahead for it ought to be shot. 

Lane, Zach and Mrs Kim – I love them.  I hate that Lane is pregnant but love how they are treating the storyline.

Rory falling apart makes some sense, but not to this degree.  She knows what she wants to do with her life – she has always known what she wants to do with her life.  Why we’re seeing this depth of confusion, I do not know. 

Maybe she and her mother have both been replaced by pod-people and that will be how they resolve this during sweeps.  The real Gilmore Girls will return and explain that evil pod-people tied them up and left them in Lorelai’s garage and impersonated them.  Thus no Mrs Hayden and no Rory acting like a wishy washy 16 year old.

Non-Palladinos – you suck worse than Palladino did in the last season. 

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I’m #1!

2 Comments / Daily Dose /

I’m really quite proud.  Better luck next time, people!  For now, (and for all time), I am the #1 search result (using google Canada of course) for this excellent phrase: how did i advice my friend’s dauther use cell phone big bill mom upset so she is not a normal hid. 

What’s even more special than being #1 for this phrase (using google Canada of course) is that my blog was so helpful to this person that he/she/it came back again, with the same search phrase, 3 minutes later.  I rock!

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OK I Lied

3 Comments / Daily Dose /

I said I was going to blog important, brilliant stuff on my vacation day and I obviously didn’t do that.  In fact I probably blogged less yesterday than on a normal workday.  Whatever.  I enjoyed my day off and did absolutely nothing interesting or worthwhile except read and chat with TW and blogsurf and wonder why I wasn’t doing anything important.

Since I took two days off, I’m now officially behind at work and am playing catch up so you’ll just have to wait even longer for important, brilliant observations from me.  But really, that’s ok, because my very good friend skeeter has officially announced her long-awaited blog. Go over there and play, she says brilliant and important stuff all of the time (and wears white cotton panties while doing it, just so you know).  

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Autobiography of a Face

2006, Books in Bed, Non-Fiction /

I ran into a problem while reading Autobiography of a Face. Besides I just said I was swearing off Irish authors, and Grealy was from Ireland, I just finished her book, As Seen on TV and had listened to a few chapters of Patchett’s Truth & Beauty. Too much Lucy Grealy and all of it sounds the same. In fact it all sounds the same because in many, many cases the stories were told in virtually the same way in all three books.

Once I resigned myself with that, sort of accepted it the way you accept the re-telling of family stories over and over again, I enjoyed reading the book. I’m sorry Grealy died, particularly the way she died. Very sad and melodramatic, the latter of which she probably appreciates – wherever she is.

I wonder what all of those people who went to school with her think about her now – what they think about themselves – what they say about Lucy to their children.

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I’ve been silenced!

2 Comments / Day to Day, Pet Peeves /

I have stuff to say.  Important stuff.  Brilliant observations about kids and family and friends and POLITICS and FOOD but Cox has censored me by popping my connection in and out in the most horrid of manners. 

All is moving along nicely and then 30 seconds later, my wireless is trying to connect me to the Hyatt – the Hyatt in San Jose!  What the Fudge?  Others in the house hold their connection but me, I’m being connected all the way across the country?  Turns out it is my sensitive little Stinkpad noticing Cox is having some connection issues because finally TW and Prince J and Michelle and Christopher all begin to have connection woes as well.  My little Stinkpad is just way too sensitive and tries to be awesomely helpful and seeks out a connection in California rather than muddling through with low connectivity here in town.

Tomorrow will be better, surely.  I have a day off and I plan to blog and blog and blog (and do laundry and run all of those errands I totally blew off this weekend in favor of family time and reading and napping).

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There Is No Me Without You

2 Comments / 2006, Books in Bed, Favorites, Non-Fiction /

Sigh, Sigh, Sigh, Sigh. There Is No Me Without You is a difficult book. Difficult because it’s a reminder of how little most of us are doing to solve huge problems. It’s a reminder of how little difference we are making in the world.

Everyone should read this, and books like it – and then DO something. And while you’re at it, go read Mary’s interview with the author. And visit Mary’s family – her family has made a difference in Africa.

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I think I’m done with Irish authors

2006, Books in Bed, Fiction /

OK maybe I’m not done with Irish authors but I think I need to be a bit more selective. Then again, even Irish authors I’m supposed to like because everyone likes them are just not my thing. The Third Policeman appeared on my reserve pick up list and I have no idea how it got there. Or maybe it was something that TW just picked up off the shelf? However it happened, I wish it hadn’t.

For awhile I thought I might like it, that lasted for the first chapter. For the next three chapters I was just puzzled. Almost in the same way I was puzzled about Gravity’s Rainbow. At that point, I flipped to the back of the book and saw some author’s notes – ah ha, that clears things up a bit. (No I’m not going to tell you what is in there – just remember if you are reading this and you’re just not getting it, flip to the back and the author’s notes might help – and I just peeked at Amazon and they suggest the author’s note as well. Darn, I wish I had seen that earlier!). From there, it was better. It almost made sense, almost. In that madcap, this is just too weird sort of way. I think I liked the last chapter the best – too bad I had to read the first 190 pages.

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